This invention relates generally to a method of loading film, and a battery, into a single use camera, particularly into a single use APS camera. This invention also relates to a single use camera that facilitates such loading method, to a single use camera with a battery loaded inside of a spool of pre-wound film, and to an APS camera (whether re-usable or single use) having mechanical features for operating the light lock door of an APS film cassette.
Recently, a new type of film cassette has been developed, sometimes called a film safe cassette, which has a light lock door and does not, at the time of purchase, or at the time that the film is first inserted into the camera, have a film leader extending from the cassette to facilitate film loading. One example of film employing such a cassette is KODAK(copyright) brand ADVANTIX(copyright) film. The cameras with which these film cassettes are used are known as Advanced Photo System, or APS, cameras, and the film safe cassettes for use therewith are sometimes also called APS film cassettes. Conventional film cartridges, such as 35 mm film cartridges, have a film leader extending therefrom at the time of purchase, and a brush or similar mechanism at the cartridge""s film slot to prevent light from entering the cartridge and exposing film contained therein. In contrast, a film safe cassette does not have a brush or similar mechanism but instead has a light lock door that is automatically opened by the camera after the film has been loaded. Film is loaded into and removed from the camera via a film cassette door disposed on the bottom of the camera. The camera then drives the film out of the cassette and into a film spooling area on the opposite side of the camera from the cassette. Before the cassette can be removed from the camera, the camera rewinds the film back into the cassette, and then closes the light lock door. If the light lock door were permitted to be opened in the presence of light, the film inside the cassette would be exposed. Thus, the light lock door, operating in conjunction with the camera, ensures that film is not inadvertently exposed.
In a conventional camera, such as a conventional 35 mm camera, film is loaded from the back of the camera by opening a back door thereof, dropping the cartridge into the camera, pulling the film leader across the camera, engaging the leader on a take-up spool, then closing the back door. Since opening the light lock door in the presence of light can expose the film in a film safe cassette, conventional methods of loading film cartridges are not suited to loading film safe cassettes into APS cameras. Moreover, because at least re-usable APS cameras employ a small cassette door on the bottom of the camera to load and unload the film cassette, there is no back cover or back door that can be easily opened to practice a conventional loading technique.
So called single use cameras are known in the art. A single use camera is one that is manufactured and sold with the intent of being used only a single time (i.e., with only one roll of pre-loaded film) by the purchaser or end user. Single use cameras are usually made of plastic. Film is pre-loaded into the camera during manufacturing, and the camera is sealed closed. This is done by loading the film into the back of the camera in much the same way as a conventional 35 mm camera is loaded, then securely assembling a back cover to the camera by a locking mechanism, screws, adhesives, thermal bonding, etc., so that the back cover cannot be easily removed. Typically, a package (such as paper, cardboard or even plastic) is placed around the camera body so that the film cannot be removed without destroying at least part of the package, and in some cases, without destroying part of the camera body as well. Additionally, film cannot be easily reloaded into the sealed camera, at least not without removing the back cover and/or partial destruction of the camera body or its packaging. As is known in connection with such cameras, it is intended that the user return the entire camera, intact, to a developing lab for processing after the user is finished taking exposures. The lab removes the exposed film and discards the camera body.
Single use APS cameras are also known in the art. It will be appreciated that loading a film safe cassette into a single use APS camera presents special problems. The light lock door cannot be opened without exposing the film in the cassette, so film loading and final camera assembly must take place in a darkroom. This assembly involves performing the following steps in darkroom conditions: opening the light lock door with a tool or fixture, externally of the camera; driving film from the cassette by rotating the spool inside the cassette either manually, with a tool, or with a fixture, external to the camera; spooling unexposed film into a film spool area of the camera either manually or with a fixture, external to the camera, and loading the film cassette from the back of the camera (i.e., with the back cover removed); then, assembling the back cover to the camera. If the camera requires a battery, then depending on the construction of the camera, the battery may have to be loaded in darkroom conditions. Thus, loading film into a single use APS camera is cumbersome, time consuming, and labor intensive.
Usually, in a single use camera, all of the film is pre-wound into the film spool area (sometimes called xe2x80x9cpre-loadingxe2x80x9d), and, during picture taking, film is withdrawn back into the cassette, one frame at a time. Single use APS cameras usually automatically close the light lock door on the film cassette after all of the film has been rewound back into the cassette. This is usually done by means of a film sensor or other mechanism.
No known single use APS camera has any built-in mechanism for opening the light lock door after the film cassette has been loaded into the camera, much less doing so with the back cover in place on the camera, and thus known single use APS cameras are not presently amenable to a film loading process that can occur in non-darkroom conditions.
Many cameras contain at least one battery, and most all cameras with flashes have at least one battery, such as a size AA or AAA battery. In the prior art, these batteries are usually housed within a specially created and specially allocated space in the camera that defines a battery compartment. Since the battery compartment requires additional space inside the camera (relative to the same camera without a battery compartment), the overall size of a camera with a battery compartment is usually larger when compared to the same camera without a battery compartment. Increasing the camera""s overall size may be undesirable, because consumers may desire smaller cameras, and adding a separate battery compartment may increase the cost of production. Moreover, in single use cameras, the battery cannot be easily removed, or can be removed only by destroying a portion of the camera or its packaging, because the battery compartment is sealed within the camera. Further, loading a battery into a single use camera pre-loaded with film may need to be done under darkroom conditions to avoid exposing the pre-loaded film.
It is desirable to provide a method for loading film, and a battery, into a single use APS camera that is simple and relatively labor free, and that does not require film or battery loading in darkroom conditions. It is also desirable to provide a single use APS camera that facilitates a non-darkroom film loading method. It is further desirable to provide a single use camera with a battery compartment that does not significantly increase the overall size of the camera (relative to the same camera without a battery compartment), that permits a battery to be inserted into the camera in non-darkroom conditions, and also facilitates easy removal of the battery. The present invention achieves these and other goals.
In the following summary, detailed description and appended claims, the terms xe2x80x9ccassettexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cfilm cassettexe2x80x9d refer to film containers generally, and such terms include APS (i.e., film safe) cassettes as well as 35 mm film cartridges, unless the context of usage indicates an intent to refer specifically to one type or the other. The terms xe2x80x9cfilm safe cassettexe2x80x9d (and xe2x80x9cAPS film cassettexe2x80x9d), and 35 mm film cartridge, are used to refer to the specific types of film containers.
According to the present invention, there is provided: a method of pre-loading a single use APS camera with film from a film safe cassette in non-darkroom conditions, and a single use APS camera that facilitates such a method; a single use, manually operated, APS camera that is capable of both opening and closing the light lock door of the film safe cassette; an APS camera that operates the light lock door by means of the camera""s film advance mechanism; a method of loading a battery inside the pre-wound film spool of a single use camera, in non-darkroom conditions, and a single use camera that facilitates such a method; and, a single use camera with a battery disposed within the film spool.
An APS camera according to the invention has a main body and a back cover securely affixed thereto. A film cassette compartment is disposed on one end, and a rotatable film spool is disposed in a film spool compartment on the other end. A film receiving slot is disposed in the spool, and a film path extends from the film cassette compartment to the film spool compartment. The camera is constructed such that, during a film loading process as described herein, the only path for meaningful amounts of light to enter the camera is via the film receiving slot and into the film path, but the film path is designed so that meaningful amounts of light cannot travel far enough there along toward the film safe cassette to expose film inside a film safe cassette whose light lock door has been opened to permit feeding of film for the film loading operation. Depending on the design of the film path, the level of ambient light that can enter the film path without exposing the film inside of the film safe cassette will vary. Preferably, the ambient light level in the assembly room during a film loading procedure is such that it allows for comfortable working conditions, but the assembly room need not be a dark room. For instance, the light level could be such that an assembler could read normal sized typed print or even fine print.
A method of loading film from a film safe cassette into such a camera comprises loading the film into the camera in non-darkroom conditions, such that light can enter at least a portion of the film path via the slot in the spool. The light lock door is opened (in the camera by means described below) and film is advanced from the film safe cassette toward the spool; the spool is oriented so that the slot therein is aligned with the path of travel of the film, and so that the advancement of the film causes a leading edge of the film to be received into the slot. The spool is then rotated (preferably, by external drive means) so that film is wound there around, thus blocking the light path through the slot and preventing any further light from entering the film path. Preferably, the spool is rotated sufficiently such that all frames of the non-exposed film are withdrawn from the film safe cassette and wound around the spool, i.e., the film is pre-wound on the spool and the camera is pre-loaded. During picture taking, film is withdrawn back into the film safe cassette, one frame at a time, as each frame is exposed. In an alternative embodiment, a spool driver is light tightedly inserted into the film spool before the light lock door is opened, so as to prevent light from entering the film path.
A preferred embodiment of the camera further comprises a manual film advancing means, such as a thumb wheel and associated drive components, for advancing the film as above described, and for withdrawing or rewinding the film back into the film safe cassette. According to one feature of the invention, the advancing means is coupled to a light lock door driver that performs the functions of both opening and closing the light lock door. The light lock door driver engages a light lock door actuator inside the film safe cassette and is responsive to rotation of the advancing means in one direction to open the light lock door, and is responsive to rotation of the advancing means in the other direction to close the light lock door when a film detection mechanism (sensor) detects that all film has been rewound. According to the film loading method of the present invention, a film safe cassette is loaded into the camera with the light lock door closed, through a cassette film loading port in the bottom of the camera, as is common in APS cameras. The advancing means is rotated in a first direction (e.g., by rotating the thumb wheel in a first direction) to cause the light lock door driver to open the light lock door; then, the light lock door driver is de-coupled from the advancing means so that further rotation thereof in the first direction is not impeded by the engagement of the light lock door driver with the light lock door actuator inside the film safe cassette. The advancing means is continued to be rotated in the first direction, causing film to advance out of the film safe cassette, into the film path of the camera, and into the film slot in the spool, as above described. The spool is rotated as above described to pre-wind the film on the spool and pre-load the camera. The camera is now ready for picture taking.
After the camera has been pre-loaded, a preventer engages the advancing means and prevents any further rotation in the first direction. Now, the advancing means can be rotated only in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction. During picture taking, the advancing means is rotated in the second direction to rewind the film back into the film safe cassette, one frame at a time as exposures are taken, as is common. The film detection mechanism detects when all of the film has been rewound, and in response thereto, allows the light lock door driver to become re-coupled to the advancing means. Further rotation of the advancing means in the second direction causes the light lock door driver to close the light lock door, whereby the film safe cassette is ready to be removed for processing.
In the single use camera described herein, a tubular structure is provided in the film spool compartment for receiving and winding film that is withdrawn from the film safe cassette. However, it is also possible to provide a single use camera wherein the film winds about itself (and not about any structure) in the film spool compartment and the wound film itself defines a spool. In both cases, a heretofore unused cylindrically shaped cavity exists within the spool. According to one aspect of the present invention, these cavities are advantageously used to house a battery, and thus camera size is not increased by the addition of a battery compartment. Though this aspect of the present invention is described herein as employing a tubular or cylindrical structure for the film spool, as used in the appended claims addressing this aspect of the invention, except as expressly otherwise noted therein, the terms xe2x80x9cfilm spoolxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cspoolxe2x80x9d mean both (i) a structure, such as a tube or other hollow cylindrical structure, about which film is, or can be, wound in the film spool compartment, and (ii) film wound about itself in the film spool compartment (i.e., the wound film itself defines a spool). Thus, in the first instance (i), the spool may or may not have film wrapped therearound. According to this aspect of the invention, there is provided a single use camera that includes a main body securely fastened to a back cover such that the back cover cannot be easily opened or removed or cannot be opened or removed without destroying at least a portion of the camera or the camera package. A film cassette, and a pre-wound film spool having a hollow core, are disposed within the main body on opposing sides of a film exposing area. One end of the hollow core defines a battery receiving end having an opening to the underside of the camera, and a pair of electrical contacts is mounted within the main body and arranged at opposing ends of the hollow core, with one of the electrical contacts being flexibly mounted adjacent the battery receiving end. A battery that has been inserted into the battery receiving end is disposed in the core, and the electrical contact adjacent the receiving end is bent over the battery terminal. A tab or door light tightedly closes the opening to the battery receiving end of the core, and is removable to extract the battery. Another tab or door disposed on the underside of the camera and aligned with the film cassette is also removable to expose the film cassette and permit removal of the cassette therethrough. The tabs or doors are preferably sealed, or covered by packaging to prevent opening thereof to expose the film cassette and battery in normal use of the camera by the end user. This aspect of the present invention is particularly suited to (but not limited to) APS cameras because APS film manufacturers specify that the diameter of the wound film not be less than 11 mm. Advantageously, a typical size AA battery is about 14 mm in diameter, and therefore the diameter of the battery compartment required to house a size AA battery comports well with film manufacturers"" specifications.
The herein described film loading method is facilitated by the manner in which a battery is loaded into the camera. A final step of pre-loading the camera with film and a battery involves inserting the battery inside the film spool via the battery receiving opening to the core, which is the same opening that is employed to externally pre-wind the film, then closing the opening by means of the aforesaid tab or door. This step may also be conducted in non-darkroom conditions.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.